The head of the National Police Agency urged senior police officers nationwide Wednesday to crack down on bribery and other offenses deriving from collusion among members of the political, bureaucratic and business communities.

NPA chief Setsuo Tanaka told a meeting in Tokyo of 160 senior agency officials and the heads of criminal investigation sections, "I want you to grasp the situation concerning illicit acts resulting from collusion in each prefecture and attain tangible results by resorting to various penalties."

Tanaka was referring to a string of recent cases involving Diet members' secretaries who allegedly pocketed government funds by using their positions as aides to powerful lawmakers and acting as middlemen in negotiations between bureaucrats and businesses.

"Public confidence in the impartiality and fairness of government work has been severely damaged after offenses deriving from collusion involving the political, bureaucratic and business spheres came to light at both the national and local levels," he said.

The NPA head also urged senior officers to effectively combat crimes such as theft, counterfeiting of coins and notes, and use of forged tickets during the World Cup soccer finals, which will be cohosted by Japan and South Korea from May 31 to June 30.